• Tracks

The quartets featured on this CD belong to the first collection of quartets that Telemann

wrote in Hamburg in 1730, in anticipation of a trip to Paris (which he would only make

in the autumn of 1737, staying in the French capital for eight months), invited by four

important French musicians: the flautist Michel Blavet, the violinist Jean-Pierre Guignon,

the gambist Jean-Baptiste Forqueray and a cellist and harpsichordist named Prince

Édouard. The collection was published in 1730 and contributed significantly to the

spread of the composer's fame throughout Europe, particularly in France (so much so

that it was reprinted by the Parisian publisher Le Clerc in 1736); it includes six quartets,

and was published under the Italian title Quadri a violino, flauto traversiere, viola di

gamba o violoncello, e fondamento: ripartiti in 2. concerti, 2. balletti, 2. sonate. The six

Quadri constitute a réunion des goûts, as they incorporate diverse national styles. Although

traces of the "German style" can be detected in each of them, the French style

clearly prevails in the suites, while the Italian style dominates the sonatas.